Melissa Kacar

Released in the summer of 2019, "Summer Girl" was the first new music HAIM released in two years following the release of their album Something to Tell You   . The song represented not only a sonic shift for the band, but also was a deeply personal offering of love, hope and healing during a particularly difficult chapter of life.  At the time, Ariel Rechtshaid, the band's longtime producer and Danielle Haim's partner at the time, had recently been diagnosed with cancer. He has since recovered, but the emotional weight of that time shaped the heart of the song. Danielle wrote the song as a way to channel the light in the darkness. The recurring line "I'm your summer girl" becomes a sweet and simple mantra throughout the track that encapsulates the desire to be that source of hope for him. "I was on tour and felt like I was trying to send positive energy his way almost telepathically," Danielle shared alongside the song's release. "When...

"Relationships" served as the lead single off of HAIM 's 2025 album I quit and in many ways embodies the ethos of what the entire project represents. The song basks in the rush of leaving behind what - and who - no longer serves you or benefits your life - finally having the ability to fully live in the independence and freedom that comes with letting go of everything you once felt was holding you back.  As this song progresses, it feels like all of the baggage starts to fall to the wayside and the realization sets in that you're the one in control of your own life, the people that you allow to take space in it, and the energy you give to it. Throughout this song, Danielle continuously circles back to the blunt and necessary question that shapes it all - "Why am I in this relationship?" It largely feels aligned with the new version of yourself you're becoming in that process of self-discovery, with the all-encompassing and often bittersweet feelings o...

It's that time of year again, the moment to look back on all of the songs that shaped my 2025! My annual favorites posts are something I genuinely look forward to writing every December. Truthfully, I am mentally compiling this list all year long, so I'll probably need to start theorizing about possible contenders for the eventual 2026 list in just a few weeks! It's always interesting to watch how this list evolves as the year goes on and as more artists release music, and which songs manage to stay in rotation despite the constant wave of new releases. I'll admit, this year brought the biggest dilemma I've had yet when it comes to ranking these tracks. While my annual lists are always loosely ranked, I do pay special attention to the placement of the top ten and this year was especially the toughest to narrow down. Sometimes there is a very clear winner in my mind and I can always point out the singular song that defined the year for me, like last year with "...